Mattress recycling law could be coming to California

Mattress recycling law could be coming to California

A measure to create a state mattress recycling program has passed into the California Assembly, and supporters of the effort are making sure the sleep products stay top-of-mind for legislators.

At a rally to support the bill last week, advocates covered the steps of California's Capitol building with worn-out mattresses and box springs to help drive home their point that the bedding too often turns to blight.

The legislation, SB 254, was approved by the state Senate by a 32-5 margin and passed out of Assembly Appropriations on Aug. 30. It now needs to pass by a two-thirds majority in the Assembly, but lawmakers won't have much time to sleep on the decision: The chamber goes on recess at the end of this week.

The bill would set up a system in which retailers add a fee to each new product sold, and those payments would fund the recycling logistics.

This summer Connecticut and Rhode Island became the first two states to institute statewide mattress recycling programs. The International Sleep Products Association (ISPA), a group that lobbies for mattress manufacturers, helped lead efforts to pass legislation in those two states and is a key player in the California push.

"The SB 254 model is now very similar to existing successful recycling systems in California for paint and used carpet," ISPA stated in a recent press release, "and is similar to other used mattress recycling legislation signed into law in Rhode Island and Connecticut earlier this year."